Sting — Desert Rose — Live With The SF Symphony — February 15, 2024 (4K)

Sting plays his song "Desert Rose" live in concert with the San Francisco Symphony before a sold-out crowd at Davies Symphony Hall on February 15, 2024. Desert Rose appeared on Sting's sixth solo album, Brand New Day (1999), and featured Algerian singer Cheb Mami. Sting is a Grammy Award winning British singer-songwriter from Newcastle, England who was a founding member of the band The Police. This was one of only a handful of shows Sting is playing with symphony orchestras, including an upcoming show with the Philadelphia Orchestra on March 8 and 9. Joining him onstage were Edwin Outwater (conductor), Rob Mathes (music director, piano, and keyboards), Wyatt Underhill (concertmaster / violin), Ben Butler (guitar), Kaveh Rastegar (bass), Nate Laguzza (drums), and the musicians of the San Francisco Symphony.

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Desert Rose lyrics:

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of fire
These dreams are tied to a horse that will never tire
And in the flames
Her shadows play in the shape of a man's desire

This desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

And as she turns
This way she moves in the logic of all my dreams
This fire burns
I realize that nothing's as it seems

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

I dream of rain
I lift my gaze to empty skies above
I close my eyes
This rare perfume is the sweet intoxication of her love

I dream of rain
I dream of gardens in the desert sand
I wake in pain
I dream of love as time runs through my hand

Sweet desert rose
Each of her veils, a secret promise
This desert flower
No sweet perfume ever tortured me more than this

Sweet desert rose
This memory of Eden haunts us all
This desert flower
This rare perfume, is the sweet intoxication of the fall

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Sting official bio:

Composer, singer-songwriter, actor, author, and activist Sting was born in Newcastle, England, before moving to London in 1977 to form the Police with Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers. The band released five studio albums, earned six Grammy Awards and two BRIT Awards, and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.

One of the world’s most distinctive solo artists, Sting, managed by Martin Kierszenbaum/Cherrytree Music Company, has received an additional 11 Grammy Awards, two BRIT Awards, a Golden Globe, an Emmy, four Oscar nominations, a Tony nomination, Billboard Magazine’s Century Award, and MusiCares 2004 Person of the Year. In 2003 he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to music. Also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he has received the Kennedy Center Honors, American Music Award of Merit, and Polar Music Prize. Sting has been awarded honorary doctorates of music by the University of Northumbria, Berklee College of Music, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, and Brown University at its 250th commencement ceremony. Throughout his illustrious career, Sting has sold 100 million albums from his combined work with the Police and as a solo artist.

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Edwin Outwater official bio:

Edwin Outwater regularly works with the world’s top orchestras, institutions, and artists to reinvent the concert experience. His ability to cross genres has led to collaborations with Metallica, Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Yo-Yo Ma. He is music director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and music director laureate of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony.

Recent appearances include performances with New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Seattle Symphony, and the New World Symphony, as well as the Royal Philharmonic in a multi-concert series opening the Steinmetz Hall in Florida. He also served as a producer and musical advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra’s 50th Anniversary Concert at the Kennedy Center. In December 2022, he premiered A Christmas Gaiety at the Royal Albert Hall with Peaches Christ and BBC Concert Orchestra.

Mr. Outwater holds a long association with San Francisco Symphony since making his debut in November 2001. In the 2022-23 season, he led the first Symphony performances of Gabriel Kahane’s emergency shelter intake form in collaboration with the composer and a program with Seth MacFarlane. He was formerly San Francisco Symphony Resident Conductor, Director of Summer Concerts, and Music Director of San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra.